South Yarmouth Live Cam

The home of the patriot, Paul Revere, the freshest lobster you'll ever taste, get-away-from-it-all island retreats, and spectacular white-water rafting. You'll find there's so much to see, the hardest part of your trip will be deciding what to do first!

Fall is spectacular in Massachusetts. The climate and variety of hardwoods produce the vibrantcolors that attract visitors from all parts of the globe. Foliage season begins in mid-to-lateSeptember and ends in mid-to-late October; peak color often coincides with Columbus Dayweekend. You'll find that the best viewing time is mid-week. On weekends, try to "shunpike" andtravel down the back roads.

Ever wonder what happens to worn-out dollar bills? How potato chips get sliced so thin? How meteorologists can see approaching storms? If so, you'll be glad to know that several companies and organizations in the Bay State have special tours for curious-minded travelers of all ages. And, yes, most food- and beverage-related tours end up with a chance to sample the things they make. Mmmmm!

Field of Dreams: It's every Red Sox fan's dream: to sit in the dugout at Fenway Park, look out at the Green Monster in left field, and imagine the cheering crowd. Unless you expect to be drafted, this is as close as you can get to being on the team. The tour includes stops at the press box, the "600" Club, a Red Sox private suite, and a walk around the playing field by way of the warning track. By tour's end, you'll be an expert on the history, folk lore, and trivia of the Red Sox and Fenway Park.

Money In The Bank: Step into the Federal Reserve Bank building (known to many Bostonians as the Venetian Blind building -- you'll see why), and you'll be surrounded by more money than you could possibly imagine. Much of it is hidden as computer disks whir and funds are moved from one commercial bank to another. Some of it is in the form of checks -- approximately 2.3 million checks pass through the bank each day. And some of it is in honest-to-goodness greenbacks -- high-speed counters zip through about 6 million bills on an average day. The tour will enrich your knowledge of how money moves through the financial system, but it won't enrich your pocketbook -- this is one tour that doesn't give out free samples.

SALUT! Grapes and other fruits go in one end of the production line. Still and sparkline wine - red, white, and pink, dry, fruity - come out the other. In between, there's lots to see: harvesting of the fruit, the "crush," the fermentation process, testing, and bottling. Grape harvesting and crushing, of course, happen only once a year, from mid-September to mid-October. In addition to tours and tastings, several of the wineries stage festivals and special events.

CHEERS! Beer lovers who have developed a taste for the exciting new brews flowing from America's micro- and craft breweries will find the Bay State hopping with flavor. And, since beer makers understand that touring breweries can be an awfully thirsty experience, all offer samples of their craft. Call ahead to check on tour days and times.

It's Raining, It's Pouring: Is a storm approaching? How much wind will sailors encounter tomorrow? What will be the visibility for airplanes? Answering these questions takes a lot of a skill, a lot of information, and a lot of high-tech equipment: satellite imaging, radar systems, data banks full of information. The National Weather Service's guided tour takes you, step by step, through the entire process so when the television meteorologist says, "Tomorrow will be partly cloudy," you'll know how she or he knows exactly what to say.

Day trip from Boston: From Boston, follow Rts. 2 and 4 to Lexington. From Lexington to Concord, Rt. 2A winds through brilliant autumnal countryside. Concord's famous Old North Bridge and Minute Man Monument are an ideal backdrop for foliage picture taking. On the Sudbury line, the road becomes Concord Road and takes you through Sudbury Center and onto Rt. 20. Return via Rt. 20 through Waltham to Boston.

Southeastern Massachusetts: September and October are ideal in Plymouth and Bristol Counties and on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Days remain sunny and warm, off-season prices prevail, and an unusual foliage show awaits fall visitors. Rolling hills and heathland, and in particular blueberry and blackberry bushes, turn a muted crimson color against the blue autumn sea. The foliage is best seen on foot or by bicycle.

Pioneer Valley: The secondary roads of Rt. 116 and Rt. 9 wind through the rolling countryside and hill towns. Rt. 116 passes through the picturesque towns of Conway and Ashfield, and beginning in Pittsfield, Rt. 9 leads through the village centers of Goshen and Cummington and the college towns of Amherst and Northampton.

Along the Mohawk Trail: Along the Mohawk Trail (Rt. 2 from Orange to Williamstown), one of the first roads in the United States designed for automobile touring, are no fewer than 14 state parks and forests. Excellent "up- country" viewing sites include: the Whitcomb Summit; the hairpin turn before North Adams, with a pulloff for viewing the panorama of rolling hills, valleys, farms and villages; the 10-mile drive to the summit of Mt. Greylock; sites off Rt. 2; the French King Bridge, Millers Falls; the Bissell Covered Bridge, Charlemont; and the enchanting Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls.